Republican Led House of Representatives Shuts Down Federal Government

Press Release

Congresswoman Corrine Brown made the following statement:

"By shutting down the United States government, House Republicans have proven that they are willing to follow through on their threats to the prosperity and security of our nation -- and cause hundreds of thousands of middle-class workers to be furloughed immediately -- all in the name of a pointless attempt to undo the Affordable Care Act. Given that the Affordable Care Act passed both chambers of the United States Congress, was signed into law by the President of the United States, upheld by the United States Supreme Court, and received a stamp of approval by the American public when they voted to re-elect President Obama, it is now time for House Republicans to accept the ACA, discontinue their obstructionist tactics, and assist their constituents to receive the numerous heath care benefits that Obamacare offers.

Ironically, even though House Republicans have shut down the government, the Affordable Care Act is still being implemented today, October 1st, since the health insurance exchanges are opening regardless of discretionary funding levels or passage of the CR. After 42 failed attempts to repeal and defund the Affordable Care Act, the House majority has chosen to shut down our government rather than work with President Obama and House Democrats to implement the law, ignoring the fact that Americans have already begun receiving benefits of the Affordable Care Act.

By not passing a Continuing Resolution, the House majority has once again placed partisanship over doing what is best for the American people. The salaries of more than 800,000 federal employees are at risk, causing them and their families to face uncertainty with respect to their financial obligations. Additionally, housing loans to low and middle income families in rural communities, small businesses and farmers will be put on hold; and job creation will likely slow considerably because of market uncertainty, endangering our fragile economic recovery.

While the military would continue working, roughly 400,000 civilian employees -- half of the Pentagon's civilian workforce -- are facing furloughs in a government shutdown. That comes on top of the civilian furloughs that hit the Pentagon this year as a result of the sequestration budget cuts. In addition to civilian furloughs, the Pentagon will curtail day-to-day military operations and bring new contracts to a halt. While at the Department of Veterans' Affairs, roughly 14,000 members of the VA's workforce face furloughs; while compensation, pension and other benefits that the VA pays out could be disrupted if a shutdown lasts one month or longer.

The American people have seen enough, and the time has come for Republicans to abandon their reckless and irresponsible agenda and join Democrats to honor America's commitments to provide vital services to our citizens which they have paid for with their hard earned tax dollars. I urge Speaker Boehner, Leader Cantor, and the Republican Party to end its shutdown by working with Democrats to pass a clean funding bill and end this charade immediately."

According to the Obama Administration:

· Hundreds of thousands of Federal employees are being immediately and indefinitely furloughed, and many Federal employees and contractors that continue to work will not be paid during the shutdown.

· Housing loans to low and middle income families in rural communities will be put on hold, as will start-up business loans for farmers and ranchers.

· SBA will stop approving applications for small businesses to obtain loans and loan guarantees. In a typical month, SBA approves over $1 billion in loan assistance to small businesses.

· All facilities and services in our national parks will be closed, as will the Smithsonian, impacting the hundreds of thousands of people that visit these sites daily, which will have severely negative impacts on the surrounding local communities that rely on the revenue generated by travel and tourism to these destinations.

· Important government research into life-threatening diseases, environmental protection, and other areas will be halted.

· The government will stop issuing permits to conduct drilling operations on Federal lands, and will stop or delay environmental reviews of planned transportation and energy-related projects, keeping companies from working on these projects.

Fact Sheet: A Republican Shutdown Hurts Florida's Economy and Middle Class

A shutdown could delay financial support for Florida's small businesses. In FY2012, the SBA's flagship 7(a) and 504 loans programs approved 53,847 applications and supported 571,383 jobs, for an average of just over 1,000 applications per week. A shut down would put a stop to this critical source of small business credit until the government resumes operation. According to the SBA, Florida is home to 396,515 small businesses. [Small Business Administration FY14 Budget Justification; SBA]

A shutdown could delay military pay and hurt military families in Florida. The Department of Defense estimates that during a shutdown nearly half of the civilian workforce would be sent home without pay, while the rest would continue to work for delayed pay, impacting the 31,149 civilian workers in Florida. 94,304 service members in Florida would remain on duty, but would see their pay delayed if the shutdown extends for more than 10 days. Military members, veterans, retirees, and their families are on pace to redeem more than $100 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits this year and many service members, especially the most junior, live paycheck to paycheck. [Military.com, 9/20/13; Huffington Post, 6/19/13; DoD]

A shutdown could put 89,000 federal employees in Florida out of work. Federal employees around the country would potentially be furloughed during a government shutdown. These workers may see reductions in their pay from the time they were forced to stay home because the government was shuttered. [Census; Washington Post, 9/23/13]

Possible Additional Consequences of a Government Shutdown

Many federal agencies are still attempting to determine exactly how a shutdown would impact their programs and operations. The following are consequences of previous government shutdowns that may or may not come to pass in a future shutdown.

Social Security checks for new seniors. Although checks for current Social Security benefits would still go out during a shutdown, applications for new benefits would be delayed and services for seniors could be significantly curtailed. As a result of furloughs and service cuts during the last shutdown, 112,000 claims for Social Security and disability benefits were not be taken, 212,000 applications for Social Security Numbers were not taken, and 800,000 callers were denied service on the Social Security Administration's 800 number. In 2012, 4,004,631 people received Social Security benefits in Florida. [SSA History; SAA, 2012]

Veterans' benefits. New veterans' educational, compensation and pension benefits processing could be delayed. During the 1995-96 shutdowns, more than 400,000 veterans saw their disability benefits and pension claims delayed, while educational benefits were delayed for 170,000 veterans. Florida has 1,520,563 veterans. [Army Times, 2/3/11; CNN, 1/4/96; VA]

School readiness. A government shutdown could force Head Start centers around the country to close. During FY12, an estimated 1,600 Head Start agencies served over 950,000 children, including 38,304 children in Florida. [CAP, 4/11; HHS; CRS, 1/9/13]

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